Wednesday, January 20, 2010

"First, let’s dispel a common myth: By providing outpatient care earlier, we can diagnose and prevent disease before it becomes expensive to treat. Fewer hospitalizations and fewer emergency room visits, some hope, will reduce overall costs. The effect is undeniable, but overstated. On balance, findings from the RAND Health Insurance Experiment, one of the largest social experiments ever conducted, suggest that insurance increases costs. The best estimates suggest spending by the uninsured could increase by $85 billion with universal coverage."